MHC Milestones
1960 - Local School Board suggests establishing a Junior College with the City of Medicine Hat.
1964 - Medicine Hat Junior College is established by order in council, Dr. N.O. Matthews is appointed dean.
1965 - Medicine Hat Junior College opens its doors.
1967 - City of Medicine Hat grants the college 107 acres in the Marlborough subdivision. 1969 - Conservatory of Music and Dance is established.
1971 - Offi cial opening of the college by the Honourable J.W. Grant MacEwan.
MHC moved into its own space and current site in 1971 — then on the outskirts of the city, but now wedged between the growing boundary.
3,100,000 hours of human labour were put in to building this site by128 construction workers, technicians and managers, said Westers.
Changes were still coming — 1973 was when MHC first started offering English as a Second Language courses, while 1979 was when its Brooks campus opened up.
Expansion didn’t always come without controversy though — the residences were built in 1981, and Westers explained that at the time there were information pickets by support staff, upset that there was money for buildings and expansion but not for staff.
In 1982, the City and the College joined together to open up the Cultural Centre.
Changes in technology meant a switch away from the rooms full of typerwriters to computers for doing word processing and spreadsheets, said Vandervaart — and by the late '90s, there was also the opportunity for online learning programs.
New wings were added to the college to accommodate more students and programs of studies.
Walker has said in the last decade there’s also been an emphasis on making the college feel more brighter and welcoming.
“It’s a place to bring people ... with the lights, trees, trails,” he said, adding that the college has also helped Medicine Hat become “more cosmopolitan” thanks to its international student population.
“Even our library, we offering open access to anyone who comes into the community,” said Westers.
“We’re a large economic influence, we employ a lot of people.” reflected Payne. “I think we’re at more of a diverse operation than we were.”
This diversity includes a growth in training for the trades, more diplomas, certificates, continuing education, and other career tracks, said VanderVaart.
“The bringing of degrees here was a big turning point,” he said, with students now able to earn degrees in areas like education and business thanks to partnerships with various universities.
“Between applied diplomas and full degrees that really brought the level of credentials up for MHC.”
For the 2013-14 year, 55 per cent of MHC students were from the Medicine Hat region. 25 per cent of international students at MHC come from Japan, 23.5 per cent from India, 19.7 per cent from South Korea, and 16.2 from China — alongside dozens of other countries.
In honour of his mother Sima, former Medicine Hat Mayor Harry Veiner, donated 26 hectares of land east of Brooks for MHC to build a permanent campus there. At the time, the land was appraised at $1.1 million.
Continuing education in 1971 included programs such as homemaking ($25 per course), basic welding ($50), and basic bartending ($30). Community members could also audit a course for $25.
MHC’s motto, adopted in 1971 "scientia mentem sustinet," which means “science and knowledge sustain the mind.”
1973 - English as a Second Language program is offered.
1979 - Ministerial authorization is given to establish a campus at Brooks. 1981 - First A.U.P.E./MHC collective agreement signed.
1982 - Ladies basketball team wins the bronze in the national championships.
1982 - Offi cial opening of Student Housing by the Honourable Jim Horsman. 1983- Offi cial opening of the Cultural Centre. 1987 - H Building opened. 1989 - First College-wide Graduation Ceremony.
1989 -College wins the Canadian National Curling Championships.
1991 - First international chapter of the student honours society, Phi Theta Kappa, established.
1991 -Child Development Centre established on campus with the cooperation of the City of Medicine Hat.
1991 -Dignitaries offi cially open the new Brooks Campus.
1993 - The Medicine Hat Girls' Choir wins the provincial championships.
1993 - Distance Learning program now offered.
our communities ❚ our region ❚ our people
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